Broadway Star and Mexican Immigrant Florencia to Join the Springfield Symphony Chorus,
Cantor Elise Barber for Popular Holiday Pops with Added Latin Flare
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) will welcome Florencia Cuenca, history-making Broadway star originally from Mexico City, to the stage for its ever-popular Holiday Pops concert on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 4 pm at Springfield Symphony Hall. The Springfield Symphony Chorus and Cantor Elise Barber will also be featured in this performance blending holiday classics with a vibe of Latin music.
Tickets are on sale, starting at $25, on the SSO website, SpringfieldSymphony.org, or by calling the Box Office at (413) 733-2291. Holiday Pops is sponsored by Balise Lexus.
The 4 p.m. family-friendly matinée concert will celebrate the holiday season with Florencia, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Chorus that will feature Latin-inspired versions of beloved holiday classics, conducted by returning guest conductor William Waldrop.
Florencia will take center stage to perform favorites such as Feliz Navidad and Las Cantares de Navidad. Florencia recently made history playing Estela Garcia in the musical adaptation of “Real Women Have Curves,” becoming the first Mexican immigrant to originate a co-leading role on Broadway.
The Springfield Symphony Chorus, led by Nikki Stoia, will be featured in several concert pieces, including Jornadas, an evocative three-movement suite of carols from Venezuela, Catalonia and Puerto Rico.
According to Heather Caisse-Roberts, “Holiday Pops is one of those concerts people count on every year, ‘Sleigh Ride,’ ‘Silent Night,’ the voices of the Springfield Symphony Chorus and Cantor Elise Barber and the sing-along that makes Symphony Hall feel like one big family. This season, we’re also excited to stretch a little by bringing Broadway’s Florencia Cuenca to our stage with William Waldrop leading our musicians, allowing us to blend the classics people love with the voices and traditions that make Springfield what it is today. We want every concert to feel rooted in where we’ve been and wide open to what’s possible: a place where longtime patrons feel at home and new audiences feel invited in.”
In addition to “Real Women Have Curves,” Florencia has also performed Off-Broadway in Children of Salt (New York Music Festival Best of Fest 2016) and A Never-Ending Line. As a singer-songwriter, she has performed at prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, MASS MoCA, and Washington Performing Arts. Florencia has also released an album, Broadway en Spanglish (Concord Theatricals Recordings), which garnered a Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) Award for Outstanding Performance in Musical Theatre.
Waldrop will conduct the SSO’s Holiday Pops for the fourth time. He is a Broadway Music Director, Conductor and Pianist who has served as the Associate Conductor for Broadway’s longest running musical, The Phantom of the Opera; Music Director and Conductor of the Broadway revival of Cats at the Neil Simon Theatre; and toured nationally as the Music Director/ Conductor of the revival of Evita.
Along with Concert Sponsor Balise Lexus, MassMutual and Massachusetts Cultural Council are Season Sponsors for the 2025-26 Season. ■
